A former records keeper has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the Albuquerque Police Department, saying top officials demanded he unlawfully deny public records requests related to high-profile cases, including some stemming from officer-involved shootings.

Reynaldo Chavez's lawsuit says he was fired from his job as APD records custodian last year after he objected to officials' orders to delay or withhold responses to records requests from the media and others without justification.

Chavez says in the lawsuit filed Monday that he was ordered to deny or stall the release of records related to the James Boyd shooting and other cases.